BCCI invites bids for TV and radio rights

Mumbai:The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has invited bids for live telecast and radio broadcast rights for international matches to be played in India as part of regular bilateral series determined by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the next three years.

The BCCI has fixed 2 pm on August 14 as the deadline to submit the sealed bids, for the period between September 2004 and August 2007, at its office in south Mumbai, as per a notice issued by it.

The BCCI's five-year agreement with Prasar Bharati for telecast rights of international and domestic matches conducted by it in India ends this September and was worth Rs 230 crore, according to BCCI sources.

The hot topic of telecast rights for the next three years, which is expected to net the Board anything in excess of Rs 700 crore and provide a three-fold increase in revenue is likely to come up for discussion at its Working Committee meeting in Kolkata on August 16.

The telecast and broadcast rights would also include domestic matches conducted by the BCCI, but will exclude any international or domestic match played under special events like the Platinum Jubilee etc. It would also not encompass "excluded rights" mentioned in the bid document which is available for Rs 50,000 and is non-refundable.

The Board has added a rider at the end of its notice which says, "BCCI reserves the right in its discretion to cancel or amend the entire bidding process at any stage and to reject any or all bids without assigning any reason".